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Like most soulslike games, Thymesia comes packing a solid challenge, with plenty of secrets to discover and a whole lot of creative ways to dish out damage to your enemies. Whether you’re familiar with the basics of the genre or Thymesia marks your entry point, you’ll find there are many things the game does differently than other games that follow the classic FromSoftware formula. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll share a few tips to get you started on your quest through this plague-ridden adventure.
Go nuts because there is no stamina meter
Unlike almost every other soulslike game, Thymesia doesn’t have a stamina bar, which means that aggressive play is encouraged. Due to the fact that you’ll need to capitalize on the wounds you inflict by following up rapidly with claw attacks before they heal, you’ll want to stay very active and mobile at all times. Without stamina to manage, your only goal is to master the art of diving in and out of range and keeping the pressure on your enemies, so put points in talents that grant you extra attacks and dodges so you can start laying the smackdown.
Plague weapons are a vital mechanic, so use ’em
Thymesia’s plague weapons act like a magic system of sorts, helping to set the game apart and offer a plethora of options for you to customize your playstyle. While you can only steal a single use of these from enemies in the beginning of your journey, you’ll learn how to equip one to be used with energy before you know it. Picking one that suits how you like to fight is pivotal, too, as they’ll often make or break a difficult fight.
Some plague weapons deal a lot of damage, some focus on interrupting and knocking enemies down, and some are even helpful utility options for healing or blocking incoming attacks. Try them all out and see what works for you, and consider grabbing the talent Plague Weapon Lv2, which allows you to equip two at once to be swapped between on the fly. You’ll be a plague weapon master before you know it.
Additionally, make sure that you farm for skill shards from enemies who wield the primary plague weapon(s) you use. You’ll need three shards to level up each tier, and doing so can earn your plague weapon extra damage, alternate moves, and more that will help you drastically in fights.
Spread your stats evenly early on
Many soulslike games require you to specialize in specific stats during your quest to make the most of your character build, and this is still somewhat true in Thymesia’s second half. However, since there are only three stats–Strength, Vitality, and Plague–you’ll find that it’s quite easy to just spread your points evenly among them early on. It’s worth getting everything to 5 first, then bumping them all up to 10. Doing so will ensure you dish out solid damage and have adequate health.
By the time you hit 10 in everything, though, leveling up begins requiring significantly more shards, so you may want to consider picking either the Strength or Plague stat to focus on as you work your way toward the level cap of 50. The former will allow you to deal more damage with your saber, while the latter will improve your claw damage and energy reserves. If you’re a more straightforward melee player, you’ll find Strength a little more useful overall, but invest in Plague if you’re wanting to make the most of the game’s plague weapons.
Throw feathers to keep wounds open at range
You’ll sometimes find yourself in fights where aggressive enemies push you out of melee range for a bit, and that means you can quickly watch all of your hard work go to waste as the wounds you’ve opened begin to heal. Fear not, though, as you can strategically pace throwing your feather projectiles while you’re far away from the enemy to keep the wounds open. Every few seconds that you’re pushed back, just toss a feather to give yourself some extra time to work your way into a claw attack–and they’ll add a bit of extra damage while you’re at it.
Invest in talents that grant more claw attacks
Claw attacks are your main source of applying permanent damage to enemies, so you want to be as efficient with them as possible. As soon as you’re able, make sure pick up the Long Claw Lv2 or Short Claw Lv1 talents. The former lets you follow up a claw attack with a second one that deals 30% more damage, while the latter unleashes three rapid claw attacks that let you stay more mobile at the expense of less damage output. Either is suitable–it really comes down to your playstyle–but you don’t want to pass up having at least one of them when it’s time to finish off that wound damage.
Bleed your enemies for extra damage and extended wound time
Speaking of investing in further claw attacks, try to pick up the Long Claw Lv3 talent as early as possible as well. This talent allows your claw attacks to inflict a bleeding effect on enemies, which will continue doing minor wound damage to them for a short while. This is excellent because the damage-over-time keeps wounds from beginning to heal as quickly, giving you more time to get in new positions and work your magic.
Change your talents any time to adapt to each situation
One of the coolest features in Thymesia is the ability to move your talents around at any resting spot. By simply going into your talent tree and clicking on any previously applied talent, you can instantly remove it and apply that point elsewhere. As you’re learning your strengths and weaknesses, use this to your advantage to make the most of every situation. Some talents have niche uses–such as ones meant for farming for items–so switching to and from those to prepare for boss fights or challenging gauntlets can play a massive role in whether you make it through. Spend time moving your talents around before pushing forward to make life a little easier on yourself.
Always complete sub quests for valuable materials and more
When you complete the main quest in a level and return to Philosopher’s Hill–the game’s safe hub location–you’ll typically find that one or two new sub quests have become available. These return you to a specific section of the same level and task you with completing a side quest–and they’re a very important part of maximizing your character’s abilities. In addition to being good for earning experience to level up, these new runs will generally include a selection of high-powered enemies or a new boss that you can defeat to earn helpful alchemy materials and rare skill shards.
For more on Thymesia, check out How To Respec and our list of Best Talents To Get First.
